give me love like never before
by monchelelover32
Summary: A/U: "You can't just say I'm beautiful and walk away."
1. Chapter 1

_**a/n: hello! welcome to my new story. this will probably be a multi chapter. i'm still quite devastated about Cory's passing, but i've realised that the only way to preserve cory's and finn's memory is to keep writing. so here i am. i will NOT write any fics about cory/finn's death because i think it's a little too personal and the feelings are still too raw. and besides, we all need a little fluff. well, i hope you like my new story. :)**_

* * *

_For Cory Allan Michael Monteith _

_You inspire me, everyday_

_But the universe took you away_

_For that, i'll never be okay._

* * *

He can't believe it. He's here, at an Emmys after party. The sheer number of stars alone astounds him.

He clumsily fumbles with his cocktail glass as the bartender slides it over to him.

"First time here?" He smirks, as if mocking his classlessness.

"Yeah." Finn says, a little sheepishly. "I can't believe I'm actually here."

"Well, lucky you. But between you and me, all the stars here are almost always a little snobbish. So, don't get your hopes up if you're thinking of speaking to them." He offers, wiping off the stickiness from the table.

"Really? Oh man. I'm just a college student though, do you think they'll take pity on me?"

He seems amused. "Wow, how'd you manage to get in here?"

"Oh, I intern at a magazine, you see, I'm going to be a journalist."

The bartender cocks his head to the side. Finn thinks he can't be more than thirty years old.

"Well, good luck with that kid."

With that, the bartender leaves him alone to tend to the other patrons. He finds himself alone again, staring down at his now half empty glass. He should probably go do something, he thinks, or else he'd be a big let down to Mr Schuester – his boss. He swivels his stool around, scanning the room for the biggest celebrities. One he could possibly talk to about being on the cover of their next issue. They don't pick them at random. It's very strategic you see. Pick the one you think will bring the magazine more buyers, Mr Schue had said. Pick the one with the most gossip factor. He shakes his head in disgust. He'd always wanted to become a journalist to tell stories about inspirational people, not create mindless gossip about them. But what else could he do, it was the only magazine that wanted to hire him. So he took the opportunity. Maybe years down the road he'd hate himself. But today is not the day. He's at an Emmys after party for goodness sake!

His eyes continue scanning the room, until it falls on one beauty. It can't be. He thinks. Is that _the _Rachel Berry? The girl he's had a secret crush on for years? His buddies don't think she's that hot but he couldn't give two shits. He's got her poster, hidden way back in his closet – which his friends don't need to find out about. She's talking to some men, other actors probably, maybe co-stars, he can't make out their faces from way back here.

He thinks he should go up and talk to her. Then, his brain reminds him of what the bartender said. So he sits back down. An internal conflict ensues. On one hand, he knows that if he doesn't even try, he'll go to bed tonight feeling terrible. On the other hand, he doesn't want to embarrass himself.

He sighs, and takes another sip of his cocktail.

Oh what the hell. It's worth a shot.

He gets up from his seat and begins heading in her direction.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Berry?" He says.

"Yeah?" She answers, turning around to face him. He doubles back for a second. Wow. She looks even more amazing in person. He can't believe she's actually standing right in front of him. Her eyebrows begin to crease and he thinks he should probably say something soon or else she'd think he's a weirdo, or something.

"Uh, I just wanted to say, that you look really beautiful." He smiles and decides to walk away without giving her time to react. At least that way, he'll go to bed happy. He wanders over back to the bar and orders another margarita. He can't wipe the grin off his face.

"Hey." Says a small voice, from behind him.

He turns around and is stunned to find Rachel Berry studying him with an amused look on her face.

"You can't just say I'm beautiful and walk away."

"Well," He begins, scratching the back on his neck – something he does when he's nervous, he realises. "I-I was a little afraid of how you might react."

"How I might react?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're like up there, while, I'm like… down here. You know? It's a little intimidating. But I meant what I said. You do look really beautiful tonight."

Her cheeks turn pink a little before she says, "Well, I _am_ the biggest Broadway _and _movie star now." She chuckles, as she takes a seat beside him.

"That, you are." He smiles. "I've seen all your shows. You really are, something."

Her right eyebrow arches. "_All_ of them?"

He nods and stares back at his margarita, when her soft hands reach out for his arm. "I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Finn." He says. "Finn Hudson."

She orders a virgin cosmo because she continues, "So, Finn Hudson, what is it that you do?"

"Can't I keep the mystery for a while?" He laughs. "Let me pretend to have an exciting life for once."

"Well, I do like mysterious guys." She says, her voice lowering, as she takes a sip of her cosmo.

He gulps.

He then notices a splash of cosmo on her upper lip.

"Oh, you got a little cosmo right there." He whispers, cleaning it away with his thumb.

He hears her breath hitch as she looks at his hand and up at him with those doe eyes.

"Do you – do you wanna get out of here?" She murmurs.

He feels his pants tighten at the implication.

"You mean?"

"Yeah, come on." She smiles, tugging at his hand.

A black, stretched limo awaits them, the moment they leave the hotel's doors. She thanks the valet and pulls him into the car. He thinks that this whole thing is fucking insane. But he'll take it.

The moment the car door slams and they begin to drive off, she tugs at his dress shirt, and pulls him in for a kiss, which he gladly reciprocates. Her hands claw at his hair while his hands find purchase her waist.

"I've never done anything like this before." She says, in between kisses. "Have you?"

"No. This is fucking crazy."

"I know, Oh _god._" She moans as he begins to pepper kisses on her neck. "Ugh. You're so fucking hot."

He begins to laugh into her neck.

"What?" She asks, annoyed at the sudden break in atmosphere.

"Rachel Berry curses?"

"I can _fucking _swear, whenever I _fucking _want. I'm not a little girl anymore." She fumes, pushing him back against the seat to straddle against him and plunges her tongue into his mouth.

It is not long before they reach the safety of Rachel's house.

They fool around _all _night.

* * *

"You're _really _good." Rachel pants, obviously exhausted from their –cough- activities.

"Why, thank you." He smirks as she rolls over to splay her arm across his bare chest.

"You know, you never really told me what you do." She muses, tracing patterns along his chest.

"I guess the mystery part is gone, huh." He laughs.

Smiling, she nods.

"I'm a journalist." He says.

"You're a what?" She shrieks, sitting up. Hastily grabbing a handful of the bedspread to cover herself.

At first he doesn't understand what the big deal is.

"I'm a journalist?" He tries again.

"So. This. What we just did. Was some sort of a trick? To get inside information from me?" She accuses.

"What? No, no." He flusters. "I'm not even a full-fledged journalist, though I want to be. I'm only an intern."

"What the hell. I can't believe this. I'm so stupid." She says, hands covering her face and then bunching up her hair.

"Get out of my house!" She screams.

"It's not a trick, I promise." He says. "You're – you're not stupid. I'm genuinely attracted to you. You have the most beautiful brown eyes, you know." He tries, reaching out to tug a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling her retreat from his touch. "I would never, ever do anything to hurt you. If it means so much to you, I'll quit my job."

"But we've only known each other for a few hours." She mutters, crossing her arms, still refusing to look at him.

"I know. But if that's the only way I can prove to you that I'm not a sly fox, then, I will."

"But it's your dream."

"Dreams can change." He shrugs. "Do you trust me?"

She looks up at him. Every ounce in her body is screaming: _no, don't trust him. He'll only hurt you like the others._ She finds her weakness is his hazel eyes. They're really kind eyes, she thinks. Like the ones you see on puppies.

"Okay." She whispers. "I-I trust you."

He beams and brings their lips together again. "Guess I gotta go call my boss in the morning."

"No don't." She says, reaching out for his arm. "I don't want you to throw away your dream because of me."

"Bu-"

"It's okay." She smiles, stroking his freckles. "I trust you."

* * *

_**a/n: reviews are love! stay strong everyone. if you need someone to talk to, i'm here. :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**a/n: sorry for the long wait! i was having exams. :( thank you for all the reviews/favs/follows. you are all amazing. :)**_

* * *

_For Cory Allan Michael Monteith_

_The first thing I think about every morning_

_Is you._

* * *

"Do you really have to leave?" Rachel pouts.

"I kinda do. I'm sorry." He replies, leaning over to kiss at her lips. She looks so beautiful. Her long, brown hair fanned out across the pillow, pink lips swollen from last night's kisses and her chocolate eyes give a slight hint of playfulness.

She wraps her hands around his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. She breathes in his scent and she thinks she's never felt happier since, well, since _then. _Without warning, she flips him over, pins both her knees on each side of his waist and says in triumph "Haha! Now you're trapped! You can't go anywhere!"

He guffaws.

"I can easily stand up you know."

"No you can't."

"_Babe, _I'm three times your size. I'm sure I can manage."

The endearment slips easily from his tongue. He thinks that he kinda likes it, actually.

To prove his point, he secures his arms around her waist as he flips his legs over the edge of the bed.

He laughs at the pout forming on her lips again. He kisses them once, twice, three times before he stands up, wraps her legs around him, and walks out of the bedroom. Not before she steals his dress shirt though.

She buries her nose into his neck and places a chaste kiss there.

The moment he settles her on the kitchen counter, his stomach decides to make a rather loud growling sound.

She laughs and pats his tummy.

"I wore you out, huh?" She says, tracing the little patch of hair there.

He smiles shyly as she points to the coffee maker.

"Coffee's over there. What do you wanna have for breakfast? Bacon? Eggs?"

"I think I'm good. Coffee will do. Besides, I'll probably be late for work if I stay for breakfast." He cocks his eyebrow, fingers running along the insides of her thighs.

"You can't resist me." She smirks.

"I can!" He says, turning around to make some coffee. "I most definitely can!"

"Then stay for breakfast."

He bites the insides of his cheek.

"Tempting. But no."

She smiles sadly as she puts on his dress shirt, loving that it smells like him.

He turns around, with a freshly made cup of coffee and his jaw drops.

"God, you look sexy."

"Do I get to keep this?" She asks.

He settles the mug next to her and says, "Well, you can, but what am I going to wear to work?"

He runs his fingers through her soft, messy hair.

"Don't go." She whines, placing her palms on his bare chest.

"I have to, baby girl."

"Well, at least promise to call me when you're on break?"

"Of course." He smiles, planting one last kiss before downing his coffee in one giant gulp.

"I'm really going to need my shirt back though."

* * *

He's late for work, _obviously, _with Rachel refusing to give him back his shirt, and when she does, she's completely bare underneath, and he had to grit his teeth and muster all his strength to walk away.

He's only five minutes late though. Maybe Mr Schuester wouldn't notice. He sprints his way up the stairs, panting as he slams his workbag onto his makeshift desk.

"Finn!" Mr Schuester shouts. "Where have you been?"

"I-I"

"Never mind, come see me in my office."

* * *

"So, I've given your assignment to Puckerman. You've really disappointed me this time, Finn. But since you've failed to report back to me about our next cover, you've left me with no choice."

Finn stands there dumbfounded. He'd totally been distracted by Rachel's beautiful brown eyes that he'd forgotten all about his work.

"I really thought you have potential, Finn." Mr Schuester continues. "I put so much faith in you, though you're only an intern. I sent you to a big after party, and you've let me down. I'm sorry, Finn. But you're back to fetching coffee for the other employees again. At least until I see some improvement."

He deserves it he guesses. He nods sadly before turning to walk out of the office.

Well, at least he didn't get fired. He sighs, walking dejectedly back to his tiny office table.

* * *

"Hey baby." She smiles into her phone. "Thanks for remembering to call."

"I wouldn't forget. I miss you."

"I miss you too. It's really lonely here."

"I know."

She detects a hint of sadness in his voice. Something she hasn't heard before.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You sound upset."

"No. No. I- well, my boss got mad at me. It's – It's nothing."

"Baby, what happened?"

"Well," He pinches the nose bridge between his eyes. "You know at the after party last night?"

"Yeah?"

"I was supposed to be looking for someone to be on the cover of our next issue. But – we – I got distracted."

She chortles into the phone.

"Well, I've been known to be _very _appealing."

"More than very."

She bites her lip. "Could I come over to your place tonight? I mean. If it's okay with you."

"Of – of course. It's a little small though – probably not what you're used to."

"It's okay. I'm sure it's nothing but homey and wonderful."

"Alright. I'll pick you up at 8?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

* * *

She tries on dress after dress, scrutinising every part, as she stands in front of her mirror. It takes almost an hour before she decides on a white flowy dress with little red hearts. She applies her killer red lipstick and it doesn't take long before she hears the doorbell. She checks the clock. 8:00. Wow. Finn's right on time.

"Finn." She says, opening the front door.

"For you." He says, brandishing a bouquet of roses.

She gasps. "Oh Finn, they're beautiful."

Extending his right arm, he says, "Ready to go M'Lady?"

Taking it, she laughs. "Always, M'Lord."

* * *

"I know. It's a tiny apartment. But it's all I can afford for now." He says, flicking the light switch on.

Her eyes scan the entirety of the room. It's pint-sized yes, but it's cozy, it's humble and so unpretentious. She can see why he loves it here.

"It's marvellous Finn, I love it." She says in earnest.

"Well I'm glad." He smiles. "Make yourself at home. I'll go open up a bottle of wine."

"Okay."

She wanders over to his massive bookshelf. Her fingers dancing over the spines of the thousands of books he has. She's impressed. She picks up one. Wuthering Heights? Hmm. Not bad.

"Sorry. I'm kind of a bookworm." He says, startling her for a bit as she turns around.

"I'm not surprised." She says, taking the wine glass from his hand.

He guides her to the sofa and puts his arm around her as she cuddles into him.

"This is nice." She remarks after a while.

"The wine? Yeah. It's French."

She laughs as she takes a sip and places the glass on the table. "I meant, you and me. Not that the wine isn't lovely."

"Oh."

She decides to climb onto his lap to straddle him, before grabbing his face with both her hands to bring his lips to hers. He reciprocates, his fingers trailing up from her waist, to her back and interlocking them with the strands of her golden brown hair. He coaxes her mouth open to gently slip his tongue inside. She tenderly caresses her tongue with his before he suddenly breaks the kiss saying,

"What are we doing?"

"Huh?" Her brows furrow, and she looks a little offended.

"What are we doing? You and me? What are we?"

"It – it can be anything you want." She says softly.

"I mean, I want, more than anything for you to be my girl. But you're totally way above my league. Hell, how is this even real? You're so beautiful and so talented. I'm this nobody fro-"

She cuts him off with a fierce kiss to his lips. "You're not a nobody. You're going to be a successful writer, I know it. I want very much too, to be your girl. I want to hold your hand as we walk down the street. I want to be able to kiss you anytime I want. I want to. I want it all. I – it's just that paparazzi follow me around. Everywhere. And it's not fair to you."

"I guess we could keep it a secret. We could sneak around for a little while."

"I guess." She smiles. "It's better than nothing."

"So… are you gonna be my girl?" He asks, singing in the tune of that JET song.

She laughs and slaps in across his chest.

"You're such a dork. Of course, I will." She kisses him again.

He places his palm against her left cheek and brushes her bangs away with his thumb.

"Hey, do you believe in love at first sight?" He whispers.

"I think I do."

* * *

**_reviews are love. i hope you liked the fluff. :)_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_a/n: Sorry for the really late update you guys! :( I've been having some serious writer's block lately. And I couldn't even type this chapter out. Or type anything out, really. I'm really sorry! Here's the next chapter! Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews, favs and follows. I appreciate every single one of you. :)_**

* * *

_For Cory Allan Michael Monteith_

_i still feel you here._

* * *

His girlfriend is so beautiful. Yes. _His girlfriend._ He gets to say that all the time now. _Girlfriend. _He repeats in his mind. _Holy shit. Rachel Berry is my girlfriend._

He finds her with one of his old McKinley shirts on, sticking her head in the fridge.

"I like the view from here." He smirks, gaping at the little bit of ass, hiding just beneath the hem of his shirt.

She smiles despite her current predicament. "Finn. You do not have anything here that is vegan friendly."

"That is what?"

"Vegan. Finn. I'm vegan."

He shuffles his way towards her and takes her hand, forcing her to turn and look at him.

"Are you _very _hungry?"

"Of course I am Finn!" She pouts.

"Well I can I think of something you can…" He whispers, placing the palm of her hand dangerously high on his thigh.

"Finn!" She slaps his thighs.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" He chuckles. "I'll go buy us some breakfast okay?"

"Thank you." She smiles, leaning up to kiss him.

-x-

She decides to wander around his apartment. She picks up a photograph of him and two other older looking people who she assumes are his parents. There is also a paler looking boy in the photo. She makes a mental note to ask about him later. She places the photo frame back down and strays over to his closet - rows and rows of t-shirts that smell just like him. She lifts up a sleeve and places it above her nose. She sighs in contentment. Her eyes flicker over to the little brown leather notebook perched nicely on top on his bedside table. She can't resist the temptation so she grabs it and plops herself on his bed and begins flipping through it. She hears her own breath catch when she finds a diary entry written on the day they met. She bites her bottom lip in anxiousness.

_23 September _

_Rachel. _

_I can't get the image of her out of my mind. _

_She's so beautiful. _

_Beautiful._

_I love the way her long brown hair cascades down her shoulders._

_And how soft they felt._

_She smelled like strawberries._

_Not the sour kind -_

_The sweet ones._

_I am the luckiest guy in the world._

_She's so beautiful._

_I could stare at her all day._

She snaps his diary shut real quick and tosses it back onto his bedside table. She covers her entire face with both her hands. She has the widest grin on her face and the reddest cheeks in the world. Her heart feels so full. Maybe she should keep him around.

Not long after, she hears the front door slam and a "I'm home!"

"Hi baby." He smiles when he sees her emerge from the bedroom.

He settles the plastic bag on the table. "I've got waffles, brownies and coffee both of us. Is that okay?"

"More than okay." She replies.

He sits on the high stool and begins rummaging through the bag, just like a kid excited for his Halloween candy.

She laughs at his hurriedness, runs her hands down his chest, and kisses his neck from behind.

"I like you a lot, you know."

He smirks into his half eaten waffle. "I like you too."

-x-

They cuddle up together on the couch, because it's Saturday and they both don't have to go to work till Monday, which is a relief for them as Rachel's work schedule is kind of all over the place. It is nice to have a weekend with just the both of them. She leans against his chest, his heart creating a hypnotic rhythm, sending her into a state of calm. She hums and places a small kiss where his heart should be.

She wants to tell him she loves him. But the words can't come out. The last time she said those words, the universe took him away from her. She's too afraid to risk that again. Her heart broke into a million tiny pieces until Finn came along and fixed her back together. He may not know it, but she does. She feels as though she's whole again.

Instead she settles for: "I love spending time with you."

To which he replies coyly, with an eyebrow raised, "I love spending time with you too."

She smiles in relief and buries herself into his chest again.

All is well.

-x-

All is well until he picks up her phone and finds pictures of her with Jesse. At first he's furious. Screaming, yelling and accusing her, while she sits in the corner, teeth chewing on her bottom lip, waiting for him to calm down. When he finally does after twenty minutes, she says. "He's dead."

His footsteps freeze. He turns and keeps his face locked in her direction.

She looks down and buries herself into her hands, letting the loose ends of her hair cover the rest of her face.

He doesn't walk over to comfort her, but asks, "what?"

She manages between sobs, "He, um, was going to pick me up for our anniversary dinner, when, he, uh, got hit by a car."

"I'm sorry." He says, gentler this time round.

"No, don't be." She shakes her head. "It's alright."

"No it isn't. I shouldn't have exploded like that."

"You didn't know."

He nods.

-x-

It is night. The air's gone cold and foggy. She stands at his balcony, allowing the icy wind to caress her soft cheeks.

He comes up from behind her and places his hands against her waist.

They stay quiet for a while, taking in the view.

"Do you miss him?" He asks.

"There's not a day that goes by that I don't."

"I understand." He says, kissing the back of her hair.

He bites his cheek before pointing to the sky and saying, "Hey, do you see all those stars up there?"

She looks up. "Yeah?"

"You see, the thing about stars, is that, when they're born, they emit little light. And as they grow older, their little light starts to burn brighter, day-by-day. For those extraordinary good stars, well, their light burns a little too bright, until one day, they can't take it anymore and they die. But look up at the sky now. There are a gazillion stars. Most of them have already been dead for a thousand years, but their light still shines because they're millions of light years away, and their light only reaches us now. Just like Jesse, Rachel. The good he's done, the kindness he's shown - his light - still shines to this very day. No one can take that away from him."

She leans into his embrace, tears threatening to fall again. Not because she misses Jesse, but because Finn's so good to her.

"Thanks."

"It's true."

"I know."

In that moment, she knew he was a keeper.

* * *

_**a/n: i hope that helped with what we've all been going through. :)**_

_**reviews are love! 3**_


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